Sometimes it takes just one good bite, one good fish, to make the day for a Ft. Lauderdale fishing trip. And today we needed that bite. But to tell the story, I have to go back to the day before?
Tom, his son James and Ty were aboard for two 6 hour trips. The first was a morning trip with an early start and armed with Goggle Eyes, we headed out in hopes of a Sailfish or two. In a strong north current, with fairly clear blue water and south winds we managed a pretty darn good day.
We began by catching two Wahoo, one about 12, the other about 25 in the kite. That alone was kind of neat; Wahoo usually make us look bad when they hit the kite. It?s not the best way to catch them.
We also managed a handful of Mahi-mahi and released two Sailfish, James and Ty?s firsts, the last fish coming just minutes before we headed in. We packed the fish up and sent them on their way to return the next day for the afternoon trip and part 2 of the two 6 hour trips.
The morning trip for that next day was dismally slow. None of the boats that were out were catching anything, ourselves included. We finally managed a nice Barracuda for the birthday girl on board but that was about it. While this delighted our guests, we expect much more of ourselves but the fish gods and nature had our hands tied. Our group from the day before would be here soon.
Because the forecast was for light winds all day, we chose not to purchase bait but to try and catch them. Huge beds of seaweed was hampering our efforts but we managed to catch some Speedos by an anchored ship. I half kidded the guys to enjoy the action a it could be the best fishing of the day.
We moved north and set out our baits. Our efforts were rewarded with a nice Mahi about 12 lbs. That was already an improvement over the morning and our hopes raised somewhat. But the radio was telling the story and only a rare break in the silence was heard, mostly someone asking what someone else was doing, if anything.
As our day had begun, with the one bite and catching the Mahi, it also ended that way, with one bite? One spectacular bite. A swing and a miss by the fish on the long left, he returned and struck the bait with such force it looked like an explosion of water back there. Trying to wind down and get tight with the fish proved impossible as the fish passed the boat on the surface with such speed, we thought only a Wahoo could be what had struck. Finally tight with the fish, we cleared the other lines and James was in the chair watching line stream from the reel. It took him about 20 minutes to land what was one of the largest Barracudas I have caught in a very long time. He measured just shy of 5?, I could only guess on his weight and James couldn?t have been happier. The show of the bite, the speed and strength of this fish made the day for us all.
We always are fishing for one bite, just one fish. When it comes, we start over again. Sometimes the next bite comes quickly, other times just the one bite can make the day.
Captain Steve Souther
Ft Lauderdale Fishing Off Shore
www.all-inclusivesportfishing.com
(954) 761-8202
